Distilling apparatus and method of distillation.



y A. BB POGATIIS. Y msmLING APPARATUS AND Mmmm or D1sT1LLAT1oN. APPLICATION ILBD MAR. 8, 1h04. 898,861 Patented sept` 15, 1908. a sums-sanar a.

A. DE POCATIIS. DISTILLING APPARATUS AND METHOD or DISTILLATION.

` APPLIOATIGN lI'LBD HALS, 1904.

Patented Sept. 15, 1908.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

ALFONSO DE FOCATHS, OF NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA.

l DISTILLING APPARATUS AND METHOD OF DISTILLATION.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed March 8, 1934. Serial No. 197,131.

vPatented Sept. 15, 1908.

' 'o all `w71om 'it may concern:

Bc it known that Alfonso DE Foca- Tus, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of New Orleans, parish of Orleans, and State of Louisiana, have invented a new and uscf ul Distilling Apparatus and Method of Distillation, of which the following is a specilication.

My invention .rela-tes to distilling apparatus.

The principal objects of my invention are to provide an apparatus for causing continuous distillation; one b f which high grade alcohol or other distilled liquid can be produced, and one that can utilize. the fermented must, mash, wort or similar liquid for the purpose of condensing the vapors caused by ebullitiou.

By the use of my invention no additional source of heat is required to heat the fermented liquid on its passage to the boiler beyond that of the vapor arising therefrom, and no additional cooling means is needed for condensing the vapor beyond unheated fermented liquid to be distilled.

\l v invention consists of the apparatus vherein lshown and described, and Figure l illustrates a distilling apparatus shown partly in elevation and partly in section, the condensing or refrigerating portion of the same being in vertical section, and with the upper part of the still column in vertical section. Fig. is a side View on an enlarged scale of the boiler and still-column shown in Fig l, with the. boiler and parts of the stillcolumn shown in vertical section. Fig. 3 is a vertical section enlarged of the upper part of the still-column as shown in Figs. 1 and 2. Fig. 4 is n transverse section of the pipe for the downwardly flowing liquid to be distilled. Fig. 5 is u. vertical section enla-rghd of the lower portionof the still-column. Fig. t-is :t plan view of one of the plates or scctions of the upper part of the still-column. Fig. 7 is a. transverse section of the upper part of the still-column in the line A--A of Fig. .2. Fig. S is' a part vertical section part side elevation of the features shown in Fig. 7. Fig. .l is a plan of one of the plates or sections' of thc lowerpqrt olV thestil-colulnn. Fig. lt)

i is :i plan view'ofthe utomizer plate at the bottom of the boiler or beater of the apparatus. Fig. ll is a vertical section of said atomizcr plate.

Similar numbers represent like parts in all the iigures.

1 is a casing or receptacle, preferably eyl lindrieal, and 1 is another casing of lesser circumference or perimeter than easing 1 and inclosed within the same. The casing 2 is open at its bottom, but the bottom of the casing 1 is closed at 3 from its walls to the walls of casing 2, and an annular chamber 4 with a closed bottom is thereby formed between the walls of the casings 1 and 2.

5 is a tube o ening into the chamber 4 near o the bott-om o the same, and extending upward, where it terminates near its top in ,a bowl or hopper 6.

7 is a tube situated above the hopper G-and having its lower end over said hopper.

Opening into the chamber 4 pn a plane below the top of the hopper 6 is a. tube 8. This tube extends laterally and opens into the to'p of a cylinder 9, and said tube preferably slopes in a direction downward from the causing 1 to said cylin'der. The c liude'r 9 is the casing of the still-column, w lich rises over the boiler or heater of a distilling a. paratus, and from which the vapor from t e lic ater passes.

10 is a tube leading to the to where said tube terminates m a receptacle'or chamber 1l. This receptacle has preferably a slanting bottomt and connected to the reof the cylin-l 'der 94 to and through the top o the casing 2,

ecptacle atvits bot-tom is the u per end oi" the coil of pipe 12, which exten s from the recept-:tele 11 in the annular chamber 4, down to the bottom of said chamber, and is `pro vided with an extension 13, which passes out through the wall of the casing 1 near its bot,- tom. The casing 1 is closed at its top'f'rd through it the tube 10 passes.

The outlet of the pipe 8 for the liquid to be distilled opens into 2 cup 14`at thetop of the p cylinder 9, which eu p is inelosed 1n o. Alarger A cup or chamber 15, which forms Ithe upper terminal of a vertical pipel in the cylinder 9. The cup 15 is closed at its bottom except where the vupper end of the pipe 16 passes through it. and the cup 14 is supported by the cup 15 by braces orties 17. 1e ipe 16v is preferably indented in some such orm as is shown in Fig. 4, in order to give as much heat absorbing surface to' its walls as possible. Thel lower part of the pipe 16 terminates at apoint about midway ofthe height u A 15 preferably on opposite sides of the cylinder,

of the cylinder 9 in a horizontal extension 18, which opens into a reservoir 19 outside of thi` cylinder 9. A. horizontal pipe 20 is of greater diameter than the pipe 18, and, surrounds said pipe so as to leave an annular space between the two pipes, and said pi e 20 is provided with a funnel shaped out et 2] inside the cylinder 9, and which opens into a cup 22. Under the cu- 22 are a plurality of horizontal lates or iaphragins 23, extending across t e cylinder 9 and each oi said plates is provided with a hole or opening 2 4, said plates being arranged so that the openings 24 of the adjacent plates will be staggered, and

as shown in Figs. 2 and 5. 25 are pins on the plates 23 extending up from said plates in a position to pass throu h the opening of the v next adjacent plate. hese pins are longer than the space lbetween the two adjoining platesuapd are for the purpose of preventing the openings 24 of the adjoinin plates from registering when the plates aregheing assembled, and also to assist in properly assem- 25 bling the plates and keeping t ein in their proper positions. Tlie reservoir 19 is pro-- vided with a steam coil 26, which surrounds the pi e 18. A plurality of plates 27 are arrange horizontally, one over the other, across the cylinder 9 between the cup 15 and the horizontal pipe 20, and each of these v plates 27 is rovided with a hole or opening 28 surroun ed by an upwardl extending flange 29. The holes of the di erent plates are staggered and those in the adJacent plates are preferably on op osite sides of the cylinder 9. A pin 30 simi ar to pins 25, extends upward rozi each plate into the opening 28 of the next plate above for the pur ose of properly assembling the different. p ates ani assisting in keeping them in their proper ositions, and from preventing the holes in the adjacent plates from registering.

.31 is the boiler or heater of the apparatus, in the bottom of which are steam pi es 32 provided with perforated outlets 33. n the upper portion of the boiler 31, and below the still-column and cylinder 9, is a ,nr-.te or dia hragm 34 provided with peroratiens 35, .50 au( a large hole or opening 36 surrounded by a vertical flange 37. The boiler is rovided with a drawing off outlet 38 at its ottom, to be kept closed by a cock 38 or other means during the process of distillation or while the apparatus is in use.

39 is a safety valve at the top of the boiler, and 40 represents one or more openings shown in Fig. 2 in the forni of a tube through which the boiler may be cleaned, said openooing being provided with a removable vapor tight stopper 41, which should close said opening except when the boiler and apparatus is being used.

42 is a U-shaped overfiow pipe the outlet boiler 31, and is provided with a trap 43 on the leg farthest from the boiler. fire boiling liquid from the boiler 31 4will pass out through the overflow pipe' 42 when it reaches the level of the inlet to said pipe,'and will 'I0 also iiow through said pipe and trap '43 through the outlet end 44 of the pipe. As it is desired that the vapors from the boiler should not escape through the pipe 42, they are prevented from escaping by reason. of the overiiowing li uid from the trap 43 filling up the pi e 42 elow saidtrap and thus preventing t e escape of the vapor through said pipe. I prefer to have a plurality of said pipes 42 and traps 43 connected with the .80

oiler 31 at regular distances a art, preferably three, and in F' s. 1 and 2 have shown two of such pipes an traps, and the inlet to the third pipe. I Y

The operation of my ent-ire apparatus, in- .cluding that of the condenser and heater, is

as follows: The liquid to be distilled, such as cold or unheated must, mash, wort or similar liquid is dropped continuously through the c pipe 7 into the hopper 6, and thence passes 90 through the tube 5, into the lower portion of the annular chamber 4, and rises up in said chamber and passes out through the tube 8 into the cylinder 9. The liquid will then pass from the ipe 8 into the cup 14, until 95 said cup is illedp; then it will run over the top of said cup into the larger cup 15, and thencel down the pipe 16 and through the pipe 18 into the reservoir 19. When the liquid has risen in said reservoir to the level of the pipe 20, a continuous flow of liquid in the reservoir, will cause the liquid to flow through said pipe 20 down through the funnel 21 into the cup 22, and then overflowing said cup fall successively upon the plates 23, taking a zig-zag or irregular course from plate to fplatev as it passes ver the upper surface o said piaf es and throu h the o enings 24 in the saine, until all o? said p ates have been passed by the liquid; then it will fall upon the diaphragm 34 and pass through the perforations 35 in a shower or spray into the boiler 31. The steam in the pipe or pipes 32 will pass through the perforations 33 in said pipes and boil the liquid that is in the boiler. When the liquid gets to a state of bullition, the hot vapor from the boiler will rise through. the opening 36 in the diapuragrn 34, the new of the liquid continuing as above stated, and the va ior will pass up through the openings 24 in t ie plates 23 and between said plates taking a zig-zag or irregular course through and between all of said plates 23, and then the vapor will continue .to pass through the openings 28 of'the plate/s' 125 27 and between said plates in a zig-zag and irregular course, and thence out at the 'top of the cylinder 9 through the pipe 10 into the 65 of which passes through the wall of the receptacle 11, where the heat arising-freni said vaporwill radiate from the recept le 130 i i i lirst portion of the liquid that has been admitted to the heater 31 will be boiled and vaporized, and the liquid which is passing through and between the lates 23 down through the lower part of the cylinder 9 'te the diaphragm 34 will be in contact with the up through and between the plates 23. and the liquid will, therefore, by such Contact get hotter and hotter as it approaches said diaphragm and the boiler 31, by reason of progressircly coming in contact with hotter vapor, as the vapor is hottest nearest the boiler. 'lhe hot rising vapor also that passes through and between the plates 27 will; in its iig-zag or back and forth course, come in contact with the irregular walls of the liquid pipe 16, said walls absorbing the heat from said hotl vapor and continuing to heat tbc liquid in said pipe. As the vapor is hottest near the boiler the. liquid will be hottest at the bottom of the pipe i6, becoming gradually hotter from its top to its bottom. 'l`he hot vapor will pass out through the opening 28 in the uppermost plate 27 into the upper portion of the cylinder 9 that surrounds the cup l5, heating the liquid also in said cup. T he hot vapor will then pass out through the top of the cylinder 9 througl. the pipe l() into the receptacle ll and proceed as above stated through the coil 12 toward its bottom, the hottest vapor after it has passed through the pipe 10 into the upper part of the i cylim er l being within said cylinder, and being quite hot in the receptacle ll, and growing gradually cooler as it passes downward in the. coil l` and the coil is consequently hottcr rom its bott-om to its top, and the receptacle ll is still hotter. The liquid to be distilled passes from the pipe 5 to the boiler 3l in a .reverse direction to that of the vapor arising from said boiler. The vapor being hottest at the beginning of its course in the boiler 31 and coldest at the cnd of its course, which is at a point between the upper and lower ends ol' the coil 12, and the condensed vapor being progressively colder from said point to the owest end of the coil l2, and said coil being consequently progressively colder from its top to its bottom, theliquid which enters the annular chamber 4 cold through the pipe 5 near the lowest end of the .coil i2, will surround said coil and be gradually and progressively heated during its course, and as it rises in the chamber 4 in contat-t with ,the coil l2, as cach upper'portion of thc coil is hotter than the one below it. 'lhcliquid having heen made hott-er and hot-ter in its course upward in the chamber 4, when it arrives at a point where it surrounds the receptacle 1l, it will bee-ome much hotter (the walls of said receptacle presenting a much larger radiating surface than the coil 12) and will then soon as it gets to the outlet from the chamber 4 into the pipe S, fall through said ipc into the cup 14 very hot. The liquid will then take the same course as above described from said cup to the boiler or heater 31, and by the time the liquid has l reached the cup 22, it will take. ver" little vapor arising from the heater as 1t passes J more to turn 1t into a state of evaporation.

.\t this point some of the liquid will be turned into vaporv and by the time the non-vaporized liquid reaches the boilerit will be small in quantity. The flange. 36 on the dia.-

phragm 34 prevents the li uid. upon the lat!" ter from passing down t nongh the large opening even should it accumulate to un-4 usual t epth, and thus all the liquid is compelled to pass through the small apertures 35. which it closes against the vapor below.

The reserv ir 19 with the steam coil 26 is a temperature regulator, for the purpose/tof further heating the liquid and getting it near state of evaporation before it passes through and between the plates 23 in Contact g with the rising vapor. lt is not always necessary to use this regulator, as the liquid, after the-rest of the apparatus is iu full operation, may be sullieiently hot at the pointopposite the. reservoir 19. lt will be very useful,l however, to heat the inllowing liquid during theA beginning of the operation of the apparatus, and before any vapor has been generated from the liquid in the boiler so that the liquid will enter the boiler nearly in a state of evaporation. The temperature regulator may also be very useful to heat the liquid when the temperature surrounding the cylinder 9 is too low.

The casing 2 being open at its bottom provides means for the. admission of air to the same and against its walls, which will aid the liquid ill the annular chamber 4 to gradually cool the vapor in the coil l2.

As long as the tlow from the pipe 7 to the hopper 6 of the liquid is constant, and as long as the boiling and ebullition in the liquid in the boiler is continuous, the distillation of the vapor is neither interrupted nor diminished, the. temperature'both ofthe liquid and thcl vapor in the different portions of the apparat-us, and for the purposes stated, will be constant. No water or other additional cooling agent is needed as a. refrigerator or condenser of the vapor, as thc same material from which the high grade liquid is extracted, before cbullition, accomplishes the object of refrigeration and condensing the vapor. As there is no outlet for the vapor between the boiler and thc tube 13 atthe lower end of the coil' l2, there will be a continual condensation in the coil of high grade liquid, and it will continually pass out cold from thc tube 13, and by reason of the chamber 4 being i fi.

` distilled, which is es ecially caused by the replenishing of the iquid which has been -wez'ikened by the abstraction Yof the alcohol or high grade liquid, as the boiling liquid is constantly giving oil the vapor, which action weakens the liquid from which the vapor rises, and this liquid is constantly renewed, so that it remains at the same high grade. This uniformity of the product obtained by my invention 1s a most valuable one, as the quality of said product can always be relied upon, and this quality is of the best. By the use of my invention it is not necessary to separate alcohol of lower grades containing aniylic alcohol or fusel cil, whichis so inj urious to the health, as there is only one grade of liquid distilled, and this is a high one. In processes and in apparatus in which it is necessary to separate the impure or attenuated' alcohol, a more complicated method and apparatus is required, and also a much greater time is requiredby such method and apparatus for producing pure and rectified alcohol and of a high grade. Y

In order that the different parts` of the still-column may be readily assembled, removed or replaced, l prefer to make the plates 23 and 27 independently of the restof the apparatus, and with flanges 45 at their perinieters, and turned slightly inward, so that each plate will rest on the flange of the next adjacent one., all of said plates being then inclosed in the outercasing or cylinder 46 of the still-column. l prefer also to rovide flanges 47 for the central portions o the plates 27, where they surround the pipe 16,

.to prevent any liquid which might` be condensed from vapor on these plates, flowing down from the same.

My invention in its broader aspects, is not limited to the precise apparatus-herein shown and described, as many changes iii the same other than those suggested may be lnade without departing from the main princi les of my invention, or sacrificing its c iief advantages.

No claim is made in this specification to ,the 4specic form of the distilling apparatus shown and described, apart from the means for withdrawing thel liquid from the column, heating such withdrawn liquid and returning the saine to the column, for the reason that the specific .construction c? the distilling apparatus is covered by the claims 1n the specification forming art of a divisional application for Letters atent of the United States and filed by me June 19, 1908, Serial Number 439,4()

What claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is 1. A distilling apparatus including a column, a boiling chamber, a liquid feeding means, Aand* means arranged intermediate the height thereof and adapted to withdraw the liquid from the column, heated and returned thereto. I

2. A still including a column, a boiling chamber, a liquid feeding means, a chamber Yarranged .externally of the columnintermediate the height theicof and communicating with the same and with the liquid feeding means, and a steam coil arranged within the chamber.

3. The combination with a still column having at its lower end devices for vaporizing the liquid to ne distilled, of means fir introducing such liquid into the upper part of the column, means for withdrawing such liquid from the column and returning it thereto at a point between its point of entrance and said va orizing devices and means without the co umn for at will imparting heat to the lquidas withdrawn.

4. A still having a boiling chaniber'at its base, a liquid feeding means at the top of the column, and means for withdrawing the liquid as it passes through the column, heating it and returning it thereto.

5. A still having a boiling chamber at its base, a liquid feeding means at the top ofthe column and means for withdrawing the liquid as it passes through the column, heating it and returning it thereto at substantially the point from which it was withdrawn.

6. The herein described method of distillation, consisting in feeding the liquid to be distilled to a still column, withdrawing the liquid from the column at a point between its point of entrance and the vaporizing device, heating and lreturning the liquid to the column, boiling the liquid at the base ofthe column and conveying the vapor rising in the column to a condenser.

7. The herein described method of distillation, 'consisting in feeding the liquid to be distilled to a still/"column, initially heating the liquid in its passage down the column, withdrawing the liquid from the column at a point between its point of entrance and the Vvaporizing device, reheating and returning the liquid to the column, boiling the liquid at the base of the column and conveying thc vapors rising in the column to a condenser.

8. Tlic herein described method of distillation, consisting in passing the liquid to be distilled through a vessel lowering the teinperature of the vapor, downwardly from such vessel through a still-column, heating the Y liquid in its passage down the column, Withdrawing the liquid from the column at a point between its point of entrance and the vaporizing device, reheating and returning 5 the liquid to the column, boiling the liquid at the base of the column and conveying the vapors rising in the column to a condenser. 

